Car coupler



Sept. 25 1923. 1,468,725

W. M CAFFREY CAR COUPLER Filed Oct. 30 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 25, 1923..

'w. MCCAFFRESY CAR COUPLER Filed 001:. so. 1920 4 Shets-$heet 2 when the cars Patented Sept. 25, @253.

wro J. 11.1MEAD0'$.17S, or Binaries L,

or o innate CARCOUTPLEB.

Applicationfiled Jctober. 30, 1920. Serial No. 4120,7015.

n ,"in the county of oerto of Alabama, have invented and usei'u Car Coupler of which the is a specification.

vention relates to couplers for railone of objects being to provide hereby when two or more 'carsar coupled together one or more conduits extending through the cars will the same time be coupled together automatically, thus doing away with the'separate hose couplings which have heretot'orebeen generallyused where trains of cars are provide-u with air brakes, steam pipes and'the like.

Another object is j to combine with a coupler of the'ordinary J anney type means for automatically joining together the units Qfa pipe line carried by a train of cars.

A still further object is to provide a structure of this character which is practically'leakproofand which will automatically close the pipe linesat the couplers are uncoupled but which will be automatically onened when the cars are 'coupled together so as'to establish coininunicationbetween the corresponding pipes on the cars of the train as soon as the coupling of the cars is efi'ected' A still further object is to provide means whereby theportsat the ends of the pipes couplers to have movement relative to the car, ordinarily, without use of iiexiblehose. c inother object is to provide the ports in the, couplers at the ends of the pipe lines KIQCGSSliLl-llll'lg the with pistons or plungers oi novel 'li'orin hav- 'ing means for automatically shitting them when the cars are uncoupled so as to cut off the escape of air at the ports, said pistons being shifted when the cars are coupled together. so as to automatically open the ports when the plungers on the opposed couplers come together. 1 Another object is to provide Valves for of the couplers, the cas mg connected in any fproceeds the invent air to and iron: the

' ,nietlcally sin I of the i controlling the flow of ports and Wll'lCll are a. by the O1 ening and cloo draw head so to in proper relation to the c With the t'ore oi Q view, which wi p' ion resid bination and arrange ent of parts and in the details of construction hereinai er seribed and claimed, it being underciooo. that within thesc ope of what is claim changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of thewinvention has been,

shown;

In said drawings Figure 1 isa vtront eleva coupler closed. 7

Figure is f ont elevat coupler open.

Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section o? a coupler.

.Figure 4 is a e ction on line H, Figure 3 and showing two couplers connected.

Figure is a detail view of the combined piston and plunger. 7

Figure 6 is a sectio ure 1. i

Figure is a section through the valve. -Figure 8 is l 8-8, Figure 7.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the ordinary head ot a Janney car coupler having a knuckle 2 oi the usual configuration. this knuckle being; mounted on a pivot pull which is located at the usual place in the coupler head but instead of being," freely mounted within the head and knuckle the pin 3 is connected to the knuckle in any suit-able manner so that when the knuckle swings to open or closed position the pin 3 necessarily rotates. The lower end of the pin is provided with a flattened face and projects into a coupline 'on showing the on showing the the stem 5 of a. valve 6. This valve, which is tapered is mounted tor rotation within casing 7 suitably secured to the bottom oi: the head l so as to be rigid therewith. The

sleeve fastened thereto in any manner dc sired and which serves to connect the pin to the plunger betv 7 head i V 'lSxtc-nd d from the 'lower P01131011 ote'ach' of the lniuckles 2 Q 1 04/ and the n the uu. v

is a lifting tongue 57 hav- 111g an inc ned surface. These tong'uesicon 'stit-ute dellectingfcains and are so positioned that shoul'done oft-he couplershe at a lower action upon 7 :wlll he elev level the: other coupler it will; moved toward the 5061GT coupler, come nto h th the tonguee'i in the path 1 when engagement tliereof and t-nis ton ue will eXertn'li 'tin getheriatthe same level Theknuckles will coupling-s together and be compressed.

then swing closed and will be locked auto n1 tically,each being providedwith con ig 1) such 'a' s show'n '-&t 53,v/Tl18 l t-lle thus assembled the ribs 28 on each knuckle willproject'into the notches on the opposed knuckleand the nipples 55 on the two interfitting' knuekles'wfll come knuckles are open the pins 3 hold valves 6 in closed "positions or, in other words, close communication between the ports 22 and 23. Thus the alr w1th1n the chamber 4:8 1n each l so that communication'hetween the bore 7 and tie openings 56 is closed... Whenthe knuckles are moved to 'clhsed positions, however, and the opposed nipples pressed together and held, the valve 6 will he automatically opened by'the rotation of the pin 0 and air under pressure will pass from the. V pipe 18 through .lts varlous connections to the bore 29 and thence by way of the bypasses 49 into the air chamber 48. The air will press agalnst the head 44 and thrust thenlun 'er lonoitudinall so asito brin the openings on in comniumcatlon'with the bore 7 29, compress the springs 4:3,.and press "the 'nipples 55 tightly together. 7

he free to pass from one knuckle to the other 7 into the pipe line system of the next car Thus air will and so on throughout the length of the train. Should one of the knuckles 1n the tram open 5 or become broken theresultant rotation of thepin .3 would result inthe rotation of the valve 6 and the cuttlng oflj'rof the pressure.

line is'employed, the same being for air brake systems andfloeing such as wouldbe used on l'lGlg'hhOttlS. here the 1mprove ments are applied toi-passenger coaches, how: ever, t would'be1des1rab'le to multlply the ing systems in addition to and in the same Elli 1111181 the descr bed air brake system. I

- What is claimed is:

.e lowermost coupler so that it ted to bring the, two couplers to-- When the parts so as to couple upgthesteam and light-- communication between the ative thereto, of a tubular plunger slidable i nthin and normally projecting from the inner face of the knuckle, there being a pressure chamber in the knuckle and back of the plunger, a pressure controlling valve operatedby the-movement of the knuckle relative tothe head, and means for directin}; fluid under pressure lrom the valve when opened, to the pressure chamber to shiftthe plunger and place the interior of the] plunger in communication with said means. I

2. Ina coupler the combination wlth a iheacl and a knuckle mounted'to swing rela, ftive thereto, ol 'a pressure controllin valve. movable with the knuckle to open or close when'the knuckle is'in itseXtrerne. positions, a tubular plunger slid'alol with n the knuckle and opening inwardly throu 'the inner 7 surfaee'of the knuckle, means for guiding" theknuckle of unopposed coupler to the same level with thefirst na-ined knuckle, and 7 means operatively connected tothe valve for conducting fluid under pressure from the valve andback the'plunger to shift the plunger and "place the interior thereof in communication with the valve.

3. The combination with opposed couplers, each including a head and a pivoted knucklesaid knuckles being movable into .interfitting'reletion to connect the heads, of -rneans upon each knuckle for deflecting the opposed knuckle, upwardly to bring the knuckles 1nto the same-plane when coug'iled, oooperating means upon the side portions ""tl'l l t '1 ti l- 01 1e much es r01 ioioing .iem agains ic arive up and down movement when coupled, a tubular. plunger mounted Within each knuckle, a pipe line'in communication with the interior of each knuckle, "and means operated hy'the movet nent of the knuckles to closed or coupling positions fordirecting pressure into the knuckles to shift the 'plungz ers ontheopposed knuckles together and to place the interiors of said knuckles ,in communication with'the pipe line.

4*. In a coupler the combination with opposed heads and knuckles pivotally connected thereto and movable into-intertitting relatiomf of pipe lines, a loore within each knuckle, means ope: ted bv the movement of the knuckles to closed or interfitting posi- V p 1vtions forestablishing communication be- In the structure illustrated" only an air tween the boresanrl the pipe line, a tubular plunger within each knuckle, means for holding the plunger normally retracted into against one end of the plunger when the knuckles are in interfitting relation, to shift the opposed plungers together'and to open plungers and the bores, V V

5. In a couplerthe combination with a head and a knuckle mounted to swing rela- I 7 tive "thereto," bf a bore Within the knuckle andprovided with a CQQ DtGIbOI 'B, a engiov ahleelosure forjthe counterbqre, a tubular plungeropenfab'one end end QCIosed at its ather, endendshdable Within the here andl :,c0unte1h0i'e, cooperating means upon-"the; plunge: and closure for; spacing. them" apart to form a presslire chamber, a; bore oreir passage within the knuckle and communi- "f ennipple upon the open endQdfrthe.phmger *encl prqe'chng fromsthe knuckle, and means operated} by the inovezhentfof :the knukle i relative the head and'intq closed or cou- *plihgpositionfor directing pressure-intethe airrpessege te. shift thephmger longitudipally and; place the aperture thereln 111 eommunlcatlon Wlth' the zur passage.

' 6. The combination With-Opposed couplers '1 each including a headand wpiyojted knuckle, of; hollow 'plunger's slide-1013 mehntedfwithin thelkriuekles andr mova ble ihto'line When 1 gethen tef seej the 'conheetion ihefebei-Ween;

in the presence ef tfiyewi'tnessels} In' testime y that ll'claiin thej feregqing es" r-my gw I have heietoafiixed my sl'ginature f 1 j WI LIAM H N-lei MOC REY f tion, a d'mezms operated by H1 mqvement of therkn'ueklesf15) said. posit-ions. for direct? 7 Zin pressure iiito' end-through the plungers and "fer forcihgfi e aligni plungers to-I 

